Lighthouse Reef, Belize
During the night we followed a north-eastward course for most of the night inside the barrier reef of Belize, and in the morning we passed the only safely navigable channel through the reef. Then we headed to one of the three large offshore atolls in Belize. Lighthouse Reef is the smallest of the three atolls but it is still 25 miles long and 5 miles wide. These atolls were formed differently than the South Pacific atolls. In Belize the atolls are actually large limestone plateaus, which over many thousands of years have become drowned by rising sea level. As the water rose, coral formation built up around the sides of the plateaus so today the coral reef surrounds a central shallow interior.
In the morning we visited the southeastern most cay of Lighthouse Reef, which is called Half Moon Cay. This became the first national park of Belize in 1981. The park protects not only the cay and part of the surrounding reef but also a large nesting colony of Red-footed Boobies and Magnificent Frigate birds.
After having a chance to observed the nesting colony from a raised platform that was built next to the roosting place, we spent the rest of the morning snorkeling in shallow water. Within the turquoise colors were corals that were so close to us, that we needed to take really good care to not to touch them with our fins. During lunch we repositioned the ship to Long Cay, a couple of miles away. It is also part of Lighthouse Reef, and while many of us were snorkeling, some of our guests went for several dives on deeper waters.
The red-footed booby is a large marine bird with a conical, pointed bill, and long, pointed wings and red feet. The sexes are alike, but females on average are larger. Their flight is strong and fast, with much gliding; all nine species of boobies in the world dive from the wing to catch fish and squid, sometimes pursuing them to great depth. Silent at sea, boobies are noisy at roosts or breeding colonies. Males and females share all nesting duties. The red-footed booby roosts and nests on vegetation rather than on rocks and ledges. They gain their name by their fearlessness of man. We saw many brown juveniles flying all over the island which require at least two years to acquire full adult plumage.
All together, today was filled with the variety and richness of natural history and love for this part of the world that has so much to share.
During the night we followed a north-eastward course for most of the night inside the barrier reef of Belize, and in the morning we passed the only safely navigable channel through the reef. Then we headed to one of the three large offshore atolls in Belize. Lighthouse Reef is the smallest of the three atolls but it is still 25 miles long and 5 miles wide. These atolls were formed differently than the South Pacific atolls. In Belize the atolls are actually large limestone plateaus, which over many thousands of years have become drowned by rising sea level. As the water rose, coral formation built up around the sides of the plateaus so today the coral reef surrounds a central shallow interior.
In the morning we visited the southeastern most cay of Lighthouse Reef, which is called Half Moon Cay. This became the first national park of Belize in 1981. The park protects not only the cay and part of the surrounding reef but also a large nesting colony of Red-footed Boobies and Magnificent Frigate birds.
After having a chance to observed the nesting colony from a raised platform that was built next to the roosting place, we spent the rest of the morning snorkeling in shallow water. Within the turquoise colors were corals that were so close to us, that we needed to take really good care to not to touch them with our fins. During lunch we repositioned the ship to Long Cay, a couple of miles away. It is also part of Lighthouse Reef, and while many of us were snorkeling, some of our guests went for several dives on deeper waters.
The red-footed booby is a large marine bird with a conical, pointed bill, and long, pointed wings and red feet. The sexes are alike, but females on average are larger. Their flight is strong and fast, with much gliding; all nine species of boobies in the world dive from the wing to catch fish and squid, sometimes pursuing them to great depth. Silent at sea, boobies are noisy at roosts or breeding colonies. Males and females share all nesting duties. The red-footed booby roosts and nests on vegetation rather than on rocks and ledges. They gain their name by their fearlessness of man. We saw many brown juveniles flying all over the island which require at least two years to acquire full adult plumage.
All together, today was filled with the variety and richness of natural history and love for this part of the world that has so much to share.
